Axel must journey to the center of the earth with a tired old professor and find treasure.

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne is about Axel, his uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, and their guide, Hans, traveling to the center of the earth through a volcano. Even though they never reached the center they did discover numerous things. This is an adventurous story about determination and hard-work.

The story began when Professor Lidenbrock brought home a runic manuscript. The professor and his nephew Axel figured out that this manuscript was written by Anne Saknussemm, a famous Icelandic alchemist during the 16th century. After decoding the manuscript, they find it states that if they entered a certain volcano near the end of June they would be able to reach the center of the Earth.

Axel and his uncle left immediately to Iceland, where the volcano was located. When they reached Iceland they met their guide, Hans, and started to travel up to the 5,000 foot high volcano. After completing the extremely difficult climb, they descended to lowest part of the volcano where they entered a dark tunnel. After a long walk they met a dead end which forced them to return other tunnel they had passed earlier. When they traveled back through the tunnel, Axel suddenly realized that he was alone. Axel who was close to death finally reunited with Hans and his uncle.

They journeyed out of the tunnel into what would seem like the surface of the earth, even though it was under the earth’s crust. Then they built a raft to travel across a sea which was also located there. Because of a storm and other obstacles it took them a long time to get to the other end of the sea. When they continued their journey on foot they came to a tunnel which they wished to enter; however, a rock blocked the entire tunnel. They decided to blow it up with gun-cotton. They get into the raft and waited for the rock to explode. When it exploded the sea formed a wave and sent them flying into the tunnel.

Unable to stop the raft, they remained falling down until water shot up and caused the raft to head into a different passage. The passage ended up being a volcano which they were then shot out of the volcano. They found out that they were back at the surface of the earth. Even though they did not reach the center of the earth, they went back to their homes.

Axel, the main character showed that uncertainty about going on the journey. In the beginning of the story, Axel’s thoughts were against going to the center of the earth. He thought to “go to the center of the earth! What a crazy idea!” However, as the journey started to enfold, Axel became a bigger part of their journey which also led to him he became uncertain throughout the entire story.

Axel also showed his uncertainty about his uncle’s sincerity. In the beginning of the story, Axel thought that his uncle was the “most impatient of men” which demonstrated that he didn’t have any respect for his uncle. Then in the end of the story they “were deeply attached” which now showed that they both had respect for one another unlike in the beginning. Once again, Axel showed his uncertainty throughout the entire story.

Axel also showed his uncertainty about his love for Grauben, his fiancé. However, this time his uncertainty not from beginning to end, but in one sentence. When Axel replied to whether or not he loved Grauben he says, “Yes! No!” Then in the end of the story, we see the final result of whether or not he loves her, he does “as he looked at her”.

The setting in this story was amazing or unique. One reason of why it was unique was because of the number of times the author used any form of the word phenomenon. When Axel was “witnessing phenomena quite foreign to his “terrestrial” nature.” Also when they wondered “’what phenomenon could have caused the reversal of the poles?’”. Also “the maddened compass, shaken by the electrical phenomena” was another example. “This phenomenon by itself would have not alarmed me” was once again showing its state of being unique and “for a scientist an unexplained phenomenon is a torture to the mind”. They also came “to a terrain where the phenomena of central heat occurred”.

Another way we saw that it was unique was in its mysteriousness. This showed that it was unique because no one had ever seen these things therefore it was unique. That the “behavior of the compass-remained a mystery” was talking about why the compass reversed its poles during their journey. Once again, the “mystery of its inexplicable behavior” showed the mysteriousness.

It was also unique and amazing because the center of the earth was separated from everything else. Before they even found the underground sea they discovered that they “reached a depth of ten-thousand feet!” Then when they reached the underground sea they were “at a depth of 12,000 feet”.